Siege of Wincelcumb

The Siege of Wincelcumb occurred in 892 during the Viking invasions of England. A force of 50 Vikings led by Hastein laid siege to Uhtred of Bebbanburg's companions at the abbey of Wincelcumb as they protected the Lady of the Mercians, Aethelflaed; the Vikings killed five captive Mercian soldiers as well as the abbess, but their attack on the abbey itself was repulsed, and they left after Uhtred gave them the seer Skade in place of Aethelflaed.

Background
In 892, as King Alfred the Great of Wessex's health began to deteriorate, his enemies pounced at the opportunity to destroy him. His son-in-law Aethelred of Mercia, who sought to become the king of an independent Mercia, sought to allow for Alfred to die in battle with the Vikings rather than assist him in fighting off the Danes; his nephew Aethelwold Aetheling crafted conspiracies with the goal of overthrowing his uncle; and the Vikings under Sigurd Bloodhair and Hastein invaded his kingdom once again, breaking six years of peace. Aethelwold visited Aethelred and convinced him that he could weaken Alfred by killing his daughter Aethelflaed, Aethelred's unhappy, but powerful wife. Aethelflaed had a loveless marriage to her husband, and she lived on an estate at Droitwich with her daughter, while Aethelred lived in Aylesbury. Aethelred ordered his wife's murder, but his right-hand man Aldhelm warned Aethelflaed first, as he felt that she represented the true power of Mercia, unlike her disappointment of a husband. Aethelflaed fled to the monastery of Wincelcumb with her guards under Captain Godric, and she was welcomed by the abbess and the nuns. The guards stayed outside and frequently got drunk, being of little service to Aethelflaed.

Meanwhile, Aethelwold also played a key role in bringing together the Viking leaders Bloodhair and Hastein with Ragnar Ragnarsson, his adoptive brother Uhtred of Bebbanburg (who had served Alfred before being outlawed for the accidental murder of Brother Godwin and for harming Alfred), and his cousin Cnut Longsword, and the Vikings planned to combine their armies to form a "Great Dane Army" for an invasion of Wessex that winter. However, Uhtred's friend Father Beocca informed him that Aethelflaed, to whom he owed a debt of service, called for him to help her escape her husband, so Uhtred was forced to abandon the Viking army, leading to the Danes again disowning him, and Bloodhair resuming his hatred of him (caused by his theft of Bloodhair's consort Skade).

Battle
Uhtred and his companions made their way to Wincelcumb, where the abbess expressed her dislike for Uhtred and his prisoner Skade, but she provided them with hood due to their protection of Aethelflaed. The next morning, they were alerted to the arrival of Danes by the abbess, who spotted Hastein and 50 men arrive with Aethelflaed's guards as hostages. Hastein had the guards' throats slit one-by-one as the abbess denied that she was housing Aethelflaed, and she ultimately picked up an axe and asked the Vikings to fight her rather than kill hostages. Hastein's right-hand man Dagfinn responded by throwing a javelin at the nun, killing her, and Hastein had his men search the abbey. When they opened the second set of doors into the dining room, they were ambushed by Uhtred and his men, who fought hard and killed 13 of Hastein's men. Hastein and his remaining men withdrew to outside of the abbey, blocking all but one of the doors and laying siege. Uhtred spoke with Skade, telling her that she would have to follow his orders by becoming Hastein's captive, while promising that he would later rescue her. Uhtred had his men form a shield wall at the entrance, and Uhtred then had his companion Osferth open the doors. Uhtred spoke to Hastein from behind the wall, offering to give him Skade instead of Aethelflaed. Uhtred persuaded Hastein that a seer like Skade would inspire the Danes, as she had foreseen Alfred's death in battle, so Hastein decided to take her and leave with his men, ending the siege.

Aftermath
Uhtred and his companions accompanied Aethelflaed to her father at Aylesbury, where he had combined the armies of Mercia and Wessex with the goal of fighting a great battle against the Danes. Uhtred remained an outlaw in Alfred's eyes, but Alfred's son Edward the Elder later convinced his father to send 500 men to assist Uhtred in his assault on Hastein's stronghold at Beamfleot early in 893.